


Disconnect

by Janie Iscariot (TheOtherSarahJane)



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Gen, King Papyrus, Past Character Death, Post-Undertale Neutral Route - King Papyrus Ending, Sad Skelebros, skelebros
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-12
Updated: 2016-07-12
Packaged: 2018-07-23 13:15:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7464741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheOtherSarahJane/pseuds/Janie%20Iscariot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been one year since the seventh human fell and left Papyrus as the ruler of the Underground, and when Papyrus is finally faced with Undyne's death, the brothers must at last end the charade they've both been keeping up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Disconnect

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to KateMarie999 for bringing up this idea to me!

Shuffling footsteps echoed through the empty hallway as Sans trudged his way to the throne room. Another long night spent shut up with nothing but paper, ink and logistics. So dry. So tedious. So _much_ of it.  
  
Light filtered through the imposing stained glass windows on either side, still as spotless as ever. Papyrus would never let them get dirty.  
  
What a shame there was never anyone but the two of them here to appreciate it anymore.  
  
He passed through the grandiose hallway and trudged through the drab one following, letting his brows unfurrow a little and his grimace relax into something like an actual smile. Papyrus would be there at this time of day, as chipper and upbeat as ever. Probably calling Undyne’s phone even though he’d gotten nothing but voicemail for over a year now. The sight always made San’s ribs clench, but his brother’s unfailing optimism made this all worth it. All the paperwork, the long hours cooped up behind the scenes while Papyrus was out and about with the people, exactly where he needed to be.  
  
But the throne room was unusually silent. No humming, no trace of a disappointed but hopeful wish for Undyne to come back soon or at least give him a call. Nothing.  
  
“hey, paps,” Sans called out as he passed through the archway. “i was just boning up on some stuff, and i thought you’d be--”  
  
He stopped when he saw Papyrus, hunched over in the center of the room, back turned.  
  
“uh…paps?”  
  
“SHE’S NOT THERE ANYMORE.”  
  
Papyrus turned partly toward him, just enough for Sans to see his phone in his hand. He was still too far away to see the screen, but he didn’t need to.  
  
“of course she’s not there, paps,” Sans began, the familiar lie slipping out a little more weakly than usual. “She’s on vac--”  
  
“ON VACATION. OF COURSE.” Papyrus didn’t move an inch. His face was wearing its familiar smile, but it began to crack. “FOR SO LONG, HER NUMBER’S BEEN DISCONNECTED NOW.”  
  
Everything in Sans’ body sagged toward the ground. He should have known this was coming eventually. They had finally met the dead end he’d built for them so long ago.  
  
Papyrus turned to face him now, and Sans felt an overwhelming urge to leave. Anyone but Papyrus, and he would have. He didn’t deal well with these things. But Papyrus…he owed something to him. He wasn’t sure what he could give, at this point, but he owed him.  
  
“SHE’S NEVER COMING BACK, IS SHE, SANS?” Papyrus’ smile was cracking and flickering, and though he hadn’t seen them before, Sans could now see tears glistening on his face, little wet flecks on worn bone.  
  
“no,” Sans choked out. “no, bro, she’s not.”  
  
“WHY?” The tears were streaming down his face now, and Papyrus’ smile was only a brief, forced flicker in between grimaces. “WAS IT SOMETHING I DID? SOMETHING I DIDN’T DO? WAS I JUST…NOT A GOOD ENOUGH FRIEND?”  
  
“no, no, paps, it wasn’t you. it was the human, they…”  
  
“THE HUMAN WHAT?”  
  
Sans flinched. There was anger there now, in Papyrus’ voice, mingled with the hurt.  
  
_You did this to yourself,_ he reminded himself. _You made your bed, now lay in it._  
  
“they killed her, paps. they killed all of them.”  
  
It was as if something snapped in Papyrus. His knees buckled, but he did not fall. His posture lost its self-important rigidity, and his grin returned, but it was somehow hollow, so hollow it hurt to look at.  
  
“WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME, SANS?”  
  
The sudden accusation struck Sans like a dagger twisted into his side.  
  
_You knew it would come to this eventually. Stupid._  
  
“i just…”  
  
“DID YOU THINK I WOULDN’T KNOW? THAT I WOULDN’T GUESS?”  
  
Papyrus’ form suddenly seemed towering, insurmountable. His shoulders were squared again, his posture straight. Sans shrank back instinctively. His brother had always been nearly twice his size, but he had never seemed it until now.  
  
“DID YOU THINK I WOULDN’T NOTICE THAT MY BEST FRIEND WAS NOWHERE TO BE FOUND, ANYWHERE? DID YOU THINK I WOULDN’T START TO SUSPECT SOMETHING WHEN…SHE STOPS ANSWERING MY CALLS? WHEN I NEVER HEAR FROM HER, EVEN IN LETTERS OR POSTCARDS, OR WHEN NO ONE WILL LOOK AT ME WHEN I MENTION HER?  
  
DID YOU THINK THAT I CAN’T TELL WHEN YOU’RE LYING TO ME, EVEN THOUGH YOU’VE DONE IT SO MUCH I ALMOST DON’T REMEMBER WHAT YOU LOOK LIKE WHEN YOU’RE TELLING THE TRUTH?”  
  
“paps, i just wanted to protect you,” Sans replied weakly.  
  
“PROTECT ME? FROM WHAT? FROM THE TRUTH? I’M THE KING NOW, SANS. WHEN I BECAME KING, I THOUGHT NOW, SOMEONE WOULD HAVE TO TAKE ME SERIOUSLY. SOMEONE WOULD HAVE TO SEE PAPYRUS FOR WHAT HE REALLY IS! BUT YOU’RE THE SAME AS EVER. I SUPPOSE I SHOULD HAVE EXPECTED THAT.”  
  
When did everything in Sans’ body start to feel so heavy? Why did it feel like gravity was nigh insurmountable against him, like it was everything he had to stand up and not collapse to the floor in a heaping mess?  
  
“paps, i…i just didn’t wanna hurt you.”  
  
“YOU LIED TO ME, SANS.” Papyrus’ voice was gentler now, but not free of hurt. “AND I LET YOU LIE TO ME. BECAUSE I THOUGHT THAT MAYBE, IF I COULD KEEP EVERYONE IN THE KINGDOM HOPEFUL, SOMETHING WOULD COME TO SAVE US. IF I COULD KEEP SMILING, JUST FOR A BIT LONGER, I COULD MAKE EVERYTHING BETTER. MAYBE, IF I KEPT CALLING UNDYNE, SHE’D PICK UP HER PHONE AND YELL AT ME FOR CALLING HER SO MUCH, AND SHE’D COME BACK AND BRING BACK METTATON, AND DR. ALPHYS, AND ANYONE ELSE WHO WENT AWAY WHEN THE HUMAN CAME.  
  
BUT NOW…”  
  
Papyrus held out his phone, gloved hand shaking, the device still open to his contacts screen.  
  
“I CAN’T EVEN CALL HER ANYMORE. I CAN’T EVEN HEAR HER VOICE THROUGH HER ANSWERING MACHINE. I CAN’T EVEN GO TO HER HOUSE AND WAIT FOR HER ANYMORE. BECAUSE NOW I KNOW SHE’S NOT COMING.”  
  
“paps,” Sans could do nothing but stare upward, pleadingly, at his brother. “paps, i’m sorry.”  
  
Papyrus didn’t answer. He merely stared down at the screen on his phone, at the little neat white pixels spelling out “UNDYNE” in his contacts. How many times had he called that number? Once, twice, sometimes three or four times a day. Each one a little lie, one he had never really believed but clung to anyway. His eyes moved up, back to Sans, looking absolutely pathetic. He’d never seen him so shrunk down, so hunched over—and that was saying something. His grimace, permanently bored into his face, carried no hint of smugness, merriment, even sarcasm, and his eyes had never looked so close to weeping. Papyrus wasn’t sure Sans could cry. Somewhere, in a deep memory, he pictured Sans, laughing a real laugh, smiling, genuinely, and of the two of them sharing everything with each other, so different but brought together because, back then, they only had each other.  
  
But that was so far away now. Like a lifetime beyond here, beyond everywhere they had been since Papyrus could remember.  
  
“HOW LONG WERE YOU GOING TO LIE TO ME, SANS?” Papyrus asked, his voice now not angry, not even hurt, just tired. “HOW LONG WERE WE GOING TO KEEP THIS UP?”  
  
“as long as i could. as long as it worked.”  
  
Almost instinctively, Papyrus hit the call button again. A few bleak tones chimed out at him, then started the tinny, pre-recorded apologies that the number he was calling was no longer in service, please hang up and try a different number--  
  
Papyrus flipped the phone closed.  
  
“I GUESS IT’S NOT WORKING ANYMORE, IS IT.”  
  
“i guess not.”  
  
Silence between them. Papyrus looked down at his barreled chest, at the Delta Rune on his breastplate. It was the only piece of royal garb he felt quite right wearing. The cloak still lay on King Asgore’s throne, neatly folded with the crown placed right in the center. Papyrus had never felt right sitting in the throne either. It was too large for him, too heavy and regal.  
  
Even a year later, he still didn’t feel quite like the King. The people could feel it too, he thought. That hunched, hopeless look on Sans’ face—how often had he seen that in the faces and demeanors of monsters outside the palace, going about their daily lives? They smiled so little nowadays, despite everything he tried, despite all the work he did all over the Underground.  
  
He wasn’t their King. The hope he had tried so desperately to rekindle wasn’t there. And Undyne—she wasn’t there either. Never had been. Never would be.  
  
The thought descended, slowly but heavily, onto his shoulders and back, and Papyrus let the hand holding the phone fall to his side for the first time in the conversation.  
  
He turned away from Sans, toward the empty throne, and placed the phone down by the crown.  
  
“…papyrus?”  
  
Papyrus turned to face Sans again at the sound of his voice. Sans looked like he wanted him to say something, but neither of them was sure what.  
  
“what are we going to do now, paps?”  
  
“I DON’T KNOW.”  
  
Sans finally gave in and sank down slowly to the ground, the flowers below him whispering against his legs. Papyrus, hesitant at first but growing more sure of himself with each movement, carefully stepped around Sans and toward the doorway.  
  
“where are you going, bro?” Sans asked, not moving from his spot.  
  
“AWAY FOR A BIT,” Papyrus answered, pausing in his tracks. “SOMEWHERE ALONE.”  
  
Sans didn’t stop him. He stayed, perfectly still, and listened as Papyrus’ footsteps left the soft crunching of leaves and flowers, to hollow bumps against deserted stone, to nothingness as he grew too far to hear.  
  
The golden flowers whispered secrets all around him, and the throne sat before him, a proud but empty memorial.


End file.
